HANOVER — Caleb Morse dropped the snap and frantically scooped up the football.
Knowing he had to pick up the first down to give his team any of hope scoring, the senior quarterback dodged a defensive lineman and hurled himself toward the first-down marker.
He fell a yard short. Turnover on downs.
Morse’s run, which put Hanover on Kennett’s 10-yard line with 8:15 left in the second quarter, was the closest the Marauders came to the end zone on Friday night. It was just one of Hanover’s many struggles in a 35-0 loss to the Eagles at Merriman-Branch Field in the teams’ NHIAA Division II season opener.
“He actually came over to me, and he called that play,” said fifth-year Hanover coach Sam Cavallaro. “I think he wanted it, and he almost got it. I think if he doesn’t break that snap, he might even go in. I think it would have been a changing point.
“I think these guys, when you have the team that we do, where they’re trying to improve, you know, they get a little spark and they get a little momentum.”
Hanover’s offensive struggles were only a small part of its loss, as Kennett had its way on the Marauders’ defense all night long. The Eagles drove 90 yards down the field on 12 plays over 6½ minutes after that fumble to give themselves a 14-0 lead.
That drive was a glimpse of the Eagles’ rushing attack, as they pounded Hanover for 220 yards and just threw the ball once for 227 total offensive yards. All four of their touchdowns came on the ground; Kyle Perry led Kennett with 80 yards and two TDs.
Still, Hanover trailed just 14-0 at the half.
Senior Justin Olson returned the second-half kickoff 77 yards to Hanover’s 6-yard line, and quarterback Parker Coleman squeaked it in two plays later to give Kennett a 21-0 lead.
“We played pretty well in the first half,” Cavallaro said. “But I think in the second half, I thought our defense fought. I think it was more that our offense wasn’t moving the ball and our specials kind of let up some big plays.”
The Marauders’ offense struggled to produce a drive after Morse’s second-quarter fumble. His fumble was one of Hanover’s three on the night. Morse was 3-of-10 for 33 yards and was forced to scramble when he dropped back to pass, which resulted in three tackles for loss.
Hanover’s run game struggled, but Seamus Murphy rushed for 28 yards and had two catches for 21 yards. Moe Kado added 14 rushing yards.
“I don’t think it’s ever rebuilding. But I think you gotta look at where your team is,” Cavallaro said. “You gotta say, what is our goal from week to week. We’re trying to always get better, you know?”
Notes: Hanover dressed 27 players on Friday night. … Freshman running back Ben Williams didn’t play due to injury and hasn’t practiced in a couple of weeks. But Cavallaro said Williams will play in the junior varsity game against Kennett. … Hanover travels to Hollis-Brookline on Sept. 14.
Pete Nakos can be reached at pnakos@vnews.com or 603-722-8774.